Weft replenishing pick and pick loom



4'Sheets-Sheet l dma/J Dec. 29, 1936. w. H. wAKEFlr-:LD

' wEFT REPLENISHING PICK AND P10K Loom Filed June 13, 1934 Dec. 29, 1936. w. H. WAKEFIELD 2,065,776

vWEFT REPLENISHING PICK AND PICK LOOM A Filed June 15, 1954 4 sheets-sheet 2 n@ J6 Ji E `v f ADI E n 12F YT I l El Il Dea-29, 1936 w. H. wAKEFn-:LD 2,065,776

WEFT REPLENISHING PI-CK AND PICK LOOM Filed June 13, 1934 4 ShetS-Shee'b 5 Dec. 29, 1936. w. H. wAKEFll-:LD

y WEFT REPLENISHING PICK AND PICK LOOM Filed June 15, 1934 4 sheets-sheet 4 J rl l Patented Dec. 29, 1936 ETE!) SES WEr'r aizrLnNrsniNG P10K AND Pion LooM f' Application .lune i3, i934, Serial No. 730,478

S Ciaims.

This invention relates to an automatic pick and pick loom and it is the general object of the invention to simplify the detection and transfer on certain types of pick and pick looms.

In the weaving of cloth where one shuttle lays but one piek at a time it is possible to mix lling either for the purpose of getting diversity of color or uniformity of weight of fabric. Where a simple color sequence is required three shuttles can follow each other in rotation, each shuttle being active for but one pick and having its own color to produce a blended effect. Where a plain fabric is being woven and mixing is desired to overcome Unevenness as to size, the shuttles may all carry yarn of the same color.

In either of these instances it is possible to use a loom having a pair of shifting shuttle boxes at cach end to cooperate with the three shuttles. The noxes may be controlled either by cams or box motions having pattern chains which are built to give the required sequence. In looms of this kind it is coin-noon tohave any one pair of shifting boxes so controlled as to hold a shuttle inactive for two picks while the other two shuttles are active in succession. By reason of this relation it is found that a shuttle will be idle and at rest with respect to the lay during approximately a piel; and a hah" and this interval extends over a period in which the lay is in back center position twice and in front center position once. In other words, looms of the type speciiied operate in such a way that an idle shuttle will be at rest with respect to the lay when the latter is in its rearniost position, when the lay is in the following foremost position, and when it is again in the next real-most position.l

It is an important object of my present invention to take advantage of this relation by detecting in an idle shuttle on the iirst of the back center positions and transferring on the next back center position. In this way the entire automatic action with respect to a depleted shuttle takes place while it is at rest with respect 'to the lay.

When weaving different colors the magazine will be adapted to supply three dierent kinds of bcbbins and upon indication of weft exhaustion in any idle shuttle on the first of the back center positions alluded to the magazine will act to deliver a bobbin corresponding to the depleted shuttle and on the next beat or second of the back center motions of the lay this released bobbin will he transferred into the depleted idle shuttle.

In looms of the type specified the sequence of shuttles is rigorous and subject to little if any (Cl. 13B-.232)

change and it is known what kind of a *shuttle will be in transferring position at any predetermined transferring beat and this fact is used to aord .a color control for the magazine. If the shuttles are weaving red, white and blue, for instance, they will enter a given box at four pick intervals and the control for the magazine can correspondingly be constructed so that a bobbin corresponding in color to the shuttle in transi'e'rring position can be released upon indication by the weft detector.

Where a three-color magazine is adapted for use with a single color all the stacks of the magazine can be 'filled with bobbins of the same kind and since depletion will occur 4in a substantially regular order, a progressive selection from the `several stacks will draw on the full supply of the magazine, permitting a long period of operation between successive llings of the magazine. In the construction of automatic color looms it has been the practice heretofore to have a4 magazine with the variously colored reserve bobbins together with a detector at the front of the 'sweep'of the lay. Inasmuch as the boxes shift when the lay is in its forward position prior practice has been limited to detecting and "re-l 'plenishing a shuttle in a single box stationary Vwith respect to the lay. When the lay is in rear position the boxes do not shift since they must have already been given their proper positions relatively to deliver and receive the shuttle in.-

f vilight, and I use this condition to detect and replenish in one of the sets of shifting boxes while 'the lay is in rear position.

`With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention? residesfin the combination and arrangement of kparts hereinafter described and setforth in the claims.

. In the accompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my invention is set forth# Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Hlig.' 2 is a diagrammatic front view of a loom Lkequipped with my invention,

QFig. 3 indicates the sequence of box and shuttle Fig. 9 is a detail horizontal section on line 9-9, Fig. 4, and

Fig. 10 is a detail rear elevation in the direction of arrow I0, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the loom frame I0 has mounted therein a lay II driven backwardly Vand forwardly by connectors I2 attached to the top shaft I3. The lay is provided at one end thereof with a box structure B having upper and lower cells I4 and i 5, respectively, with a bobbin exit space I5 between for a purpose to be described. Ihe boxes are supported on. the upper Vend of a Il which is lifted through a yielding link I 8 operatively related to the forward end oi box lifter lever I9. The latter is pivoted to a 'iixed support 2i) and at its rear end'carries a roll 2l to coact with a box lifter cam 22. The latter rotates about a stud 23 in xed angular relation with respect to a large gear 24 meshing with a gear 25 or^ half the size keyed or in any other manner secured to the bottom shaft 26.

The cam 22 has a low dwell 27 which permits descent of the boxes so that box I4 will be in active picking position, while the high dwell 26 raises the boxes so that the bottom box I5 is in picking position. The eiect of the cam is to align one or the other oi the boxes with therace VVat the time of picking, and the space I6 is either Y7oY i relations depictedin Fig. e

above or below the race at picking. A picker stick 36 and a picker 3! may be provided to pick the shuttles S and S' in boxes I4 and l5, respectively, when either of them is in picking position.

The opposite side of the loom, see Fig. 2, may be provided with a box motion similar to that shown in Fig. l, having a cam 32 rotating once every four picks oi the loom. High and low dwells 33 and 34, respectively, move a box lever 35 to raise and lower box structure B formed with upper and lower cells '35 and 3l, respectively. 'Ihe dwells 33 and 34 are connected with inclines which are not as large as those of cam 22, since no bobbin space is between cells 36 and 31.

v In Fig. 2 both boxes are shown down, but it will be noted that the angular relation of the cams is such that cam 22 is about to lift its box structure while cam 32 will keep dwell 34 related to lever 35 Vfor approximately another pick of the loom. The timing of the cams and the boxes is such that each box structure is up for two picks and then down for two picks, but the boxes at one side 'of the loom have their shifting movement at lay iront center during the dwell of the boxes at the other side, so that at each forward beat oi the lay one or the other of the boxes is shifting. When the boxes are controlled in this way, three shuttles can be pickedin rotation to be active for but one pick at a time, picking occurring alternately rst from one side and then the other side of the loom.

In Fig. 3 the shuttle boxes are shown in the diierent positions they assume with respect to the shuttle race R by roman numerals I to XII. By inspecting this gure it is seen that boxes 36 and 3l are down for two successive loom beats, in positions I and II, V and VI, IX and X, and up in positions III and IV, VII and VIII, and XI and XII. Boxes I4 and I5 shown at the right of Y Fig. 3 are indicated as shifting up during the intervals that boxes 36 and 3l dwell down, and shifting down when those boxes dwellup. The

are those existing just after box shifting is completed and immediately prior to picking.

VWhen the shuttles are manipulated as described and the box I4, for instance, is raised it will assume its high position stationary with respect to the lay at the time that the picker stick acts to propel a shuttle from box I5.V This picking of shuttle S will occur when the lay is moving backwardly and is at top center. The lay will thereafter reach back center with the box Ill stationary with respect to it and will continue to move to the next front center and will reach back center a second time with the box still raised. During this period of inaction of box I4 and its shuttle, the other two shuttles are active. This sequence leaves box I4 at rest with respect to the lay for two successive back center positions of the lay, and it is an important object ci my present invention to make use of this relation to detect on the rst of the back center positions and if indication oi weft exhaustion is given to replenish at the next back center position of the lay all during the period of inaction of the raised shuttle in box I4.

'I'c accomplish these results I employ a magazine M provided with several vertical bobbin releasing slides 46 each associated with a stack of reserve bobbins. Each slide has a lug 4I to be raised by one of the lifter ngers 42 on a reciprocable and oscillatable co-lor slide 43 sliding in bearings carried by the magazine. A spring 413 for each slide 4B tends to hold the latter yieldingly down and permits up motion of the slide under action of a finger 42. A bobbin holding cradle 5 is provided for each slide 40 and normally contains a bobbin drawn from the reserve stack immediately thereover.

rIhe color slide is moved longitudinally by a rod 4E acting through a bell crank lever 4'I movable about a xed pivot. The character of movementsV imparted to the color slide depends upon whether the magazine is supplied with weft of different mediate and low, shown at 52, 53 and 54, respecv tively, connected by appropriate inclines. Each dwell extends for approximately of arc, including one incline, and a ratchet wheel 55 with twelve teeth 56 is arranged to coact with a pawl 5l. The pawl is on a lever 58 rocked by a rod 59 connected to the lay Il. Each backward stroke of the lay gives the pawl a feeding stroke to advance the ratchet and cam one-twelfth of a turn. The lever 50 and dwells are so related that the color slide will be in register with the slide 45 corresponding to the shuttle which is raised in box I4. Carn 5I can conveniently be placed to bring the color slide to rest as soon as the box shift raised box I4, or shortly thereafter, so that the color slide will be at rest when the lay reaches back center with the box I4 raised.

The dwell active at the time will hold the color slide in position until after the vfollowing back center, thereby insuring correct registry of the color slide and shuttle in raised box I4 during both back center positions of the lay previously mentioned. l

When the loom is weaving with weft of one color, rod 4B is connected to a lever 60 which bears against a cam 6I having high, intermediate and low dwells 62, 63 and 64, respectively, equally spaced angularly. A six tooth ratchet wheel is fastened to the cam 6I and is fed by a pawl 65 on a lever 66 connected by link 61 to a transferrer arm 68. Each time the latter rocks, by means to be described, the pawl advances cam 6l onesixth of a turn, and every second transfer a new dwell surface on cam 5I will engage lever 00. Two transfers can therefore occur from the same stack of reserve bobbins, after which the color slide will move to be in register with another stack. In this way the magazine can be filled with bobbins of one color and they will be transferred from the Various stacks in rotation. I do not wish to be limited to two successive transfers from the same stack, since other devices of this type can be employed, such as that shown in Gordon Patent No. 1,030,077.

A tension spring 69 between bell crank lever 47 and the magazine frame moves the color slide to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, and also holds levers 50 and 50 against their respective cams.

The weft detector to feel into raised box I4 is shown in Fig. 8 as a side slip weft detector mechanism 'l0 mounted on a bracket 'H secured to one of the tie rods 'i2 forming part of the magazine. The detector may be as shown in patent to Payne No. 1,738,198 and mounted as shown in patent to Bergstrom No. 1,7 77,346, except that in the present instance the detector is at the back of the magazine behind the lay.

The detector comprises a slide 'i3 on which is pivoted a detector finger 'M having a forward extension i5 and having an offset rear toothed feeler tip 76. The rear of the box lf3 and also the rear walls, of the shuttles are slotted to permit entry of the feeler tip 'l0 so that it may have contact with the weft supply W. So long as sufficient weft for continued weaving is present the slide 'I3 and detector nnger will move rearwardly Without relative angular movement, but when weft is exhausted angular movement of the finger M will move forward extension 'i5 against upper arm 11 of a detector lever 78. The latter is pivoted on a fixed stud 70 mounted as shown in Fig. 1 and has a depending arm connected to a control pin 8l, see Fig. l0, which is guided to move in a direction parallel to the lay and outwardly from the center of the loom through a horn 82 projecting upwardly from a stand 83 bolted to the loom.

A regularly reciprocating vertical rod Sii may be provided at its upper end with a Square block or head 85 guided in stand 83 and having pivoted thereto a floating lever 85. The latter has the forward end thereof guided so as to move across the path of the control pin 8l in a downward direction, this motion being derived from a lever 87 actuated by a cam point 88 of a cam 89 moving with the gear 25. This cam point is so timed as to give the rod 84 a downward motion when the lay is in rearward position in the first of the previously described pair of rear positions when box itl is raised and at rest relatively to the lay. The fact that the two-pick cam 89 gives rod 84 a downward motion two picks later will not result in a false indication, inasmuch as at that time pin will be held from engagement with the lever 8E by spring S0, box M being down and therefore incapable of actuating the detector.

The rear end of lever 36 is connected to an upright rod 9i attached to an arm 92 on the color slide, see Fig. 9, the effect of which is to rock the latter so that its fingers will move upwardly to raise one of the vertical slides t0 whenever the control pin 8| is under the front of the lever Bt. Under these latter conditions the last named lever is moved down by rod 84 by .a force derived from the cam point 00, the rod head or block 85 being connected to lever 86 intermediate its ends.

Transferrer arm 68 has a latch holder 95 for a latch 96 normally b elow a path of a dagger 91 secured to and extending rearwardly from the lay. A lifter link 98 passes under the latch and is operatively connected to a shelf 99, see Fig. 5,

vassociated with a toggle connection designated generally at 100. A dog mi is pivoted to the upper part of each slide 60 and when a slide is raised its dog swings out to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, overhanging the shelf. When the elevated slide descends, its dog rocks the shelf in such a way as to lift the link 98 and place the latch 05 in the path of dagger.

By the mechanism just described the magazine is set for transfer whenever shelf 00 is rocked and the latch raised, and as the lay moves rearwardly the transferrer arm will be rocked in a clockwise direction, see Fig. 1, to engage any bobbin which may have been released and is waiting transfer. Yielding supports for the bobbn are customarily used, but are omitted from the drawings, since they are well understood.

A link |03 interposed between the transferrer lever and the slide 'I3 of the detector withdraws the latter at the time of replenishment to provide a clear path for the incoming bobbin. The boxes shift when the lay is forward and hence there is no danger of injuring the feeler by box shifting. Shuttle feelers to revoke transfer should a shuttle be misplaced, and thread cutters, are omitted, since they are well known and can perform their usual functions in the ordinary manner. The magazine and parts associated therewith may be similar to known structure especially as shown in Ryon Patent No. 1,030,748. rThe particular manner of controlling the slides ie is not essential, and may be as sho-wn in Turner Patent No. 1,664,005.

It is believed that the operation of the loom will be apparent from the foregoing description. The shuttles run through the sequence shown in Fig. 3 and when an exhausted shuttle is raised in box Il! and approaches back center the detector will give indication and cause raising of one or another of the vertical slides 40. The dog of the raised slide will pass over the shelf and when cam point 88 passes from under the lever 8i the raised slide will be brought down again by sp-ring action. This will result in raising the latch into the path of the dagger and upon the next backward movement of the lay transfer will take place. The depleted bobbin will move downwardly through the space I B and will be deflected forwardly along an apron A toward a receiver for spent bobbins. type of transfer may be substantially the same as that shown in patent to Stewart et al. No. 1,766,729.

During transfer the detector will be moved out of the box I4 by link |03 and as the latch moves rearwardly a cam |05 thereon in front of rod 98 will depress the latter to reset the shelf. This latter feature is common in multicolor bobbin changing mechanisms of the type shown in the Ryon patent. Asi the lay moves forwardly from the second of the back center positions just described the magazine will be reset and ready for another transfer.

When the lay reaches bottom center the boxes will start to shift to carry box l down to active position so that the freshly replenished shut- Vtle will be picked to the opposite side of the loom. Thereafter for two picks the boxes will be down and the detector will not be capable of detecting or indicating.

This

The mechanism described is equally usable with either of the two forms of color slide operation described. Where a single color of weft is used the progressive movements of the color slide will be derived from the transfer mechanism so that the filling from three diiferent shuttles can be mixed one pick at a time and the full capacity of the magazine can be used. Where the shuttles carry different kinds of weft, however, the color slide is given movements having a definite relation with respect to the sequence of shuttles indicated in Fig. 3, this relation resulting in causing register between the color slide and the vertical slide which corresponds to: the color in the shuttle occupying raised box I4. If a pick-out is necessary the ratchet can be advanced on its pivotal supportV to reestablish coordination between said ratchet and its cam 5| and the shuttle sequence.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a simple means for rendering a loom of the type specified automatic for the purpose Y either of mixing filling all of one color Vorof mixing filling of differing colors. In either instance the fabric Woven is of the so-called pick and pick type in which a'single pick from each shuttle is followed by a single pick from another shuttle. It will be also seen that the automatic operation starting with detection and ending With transfer occurs while the box i4 is in raised positio-n and stationary with respect to the lay with the shuttle being operated upon Vremaining at rest in the raised box.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not Wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

l. In a weft replenishing loom havinga pair of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof to cooperate with three weaving shuttles each carrying distinct weft, means to shift the boxes so that each shuttle as active for but one pick at a time and each shuttle has a period of inaction for two successive beats of the loom in one of said shuttle boxes, weft detector mechanism to determine the condition of weft in any shuttle during the first of a pair of successive beats that the shuttle is inactive and in said one shuttle box, a multicolor magazine to supply three different kinds of reserve weft, one corresponding to each of the shuttles, a selector for the reserve wefts, means acting in timed relation with the shuttle sequence to give the selector three different positions, one for each kind of reserve weft, and transfer means to insert any of the three different kinds of reserve weft into the saidrone shuttle box.

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a pair of shifting boxes at each end thereof to cooperate with three weaving shuttles each having distinctive'weft, means to shift the boxes in an order to cause the shuttles to be active in rotation for but one pick at a time, eachY shuttle being inactive and located in one of the boxes for a period of two successive beats of the loom, a weft detector to determine the condition of weft in any shuttle in said one Yshuttle box during the first of the two successive beats that the shuttle is inactive, a multicolor weft replenishing mechanism having three distinctive sets of reserve wefts, one for each weaving shuttle and controlled by the detector to replenish the weft in an exhausted shuttle in said one shuttle box during the second beat of the loom that said shuttle is inactive and in said one box, a selector mechanism for the reserve wefts of the replenishing mechanism, and a controller for the selector having a complete cycle of motion once for eachV rotation of the shuttles and effective to give the selector three different positions, one position for each movement of said one box to inactive position.

3. In a weft replenishing mechanism having a pair of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof operating with three different weaving shuttles each having distinctive weft, means to shift the boxes in such an order as to cause the shuttles to follow each other in rotation and be active for but one pick at a time, each shuttle having a period of inaction for two successive beats of the loom in one of said shuttle boxes, a weft detector to indicate exhaustion of weft in any shuttle during the first of a pair of successive beats of the loom during which it is inactive and in said one shuttle box, a multicolor magazine to supply three different kinds of weft corresponding to the three shuttles and operative during the second of said pair of successive beats to place a weft supply corresponding to the exhausted shuttle into the latter while in said one shuttle box, a color selector for the magazine, means including a cam to control the selector and give the latter three different positions, one yposition forV each movement of said one box to inactive position, said cam and selector having one complete cycle for each rotation of the shuttles.

4. In a weft replenishing loom operating with three Weaving shuttles having distinctive weft and having a pair of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof, means to shift each pair of boxes during a non-shifting period of the other pair of boxes to render the Weaving shuttles active in rotation and each to have a period of inaction of two successive beats of the loom in the same shuttle box, weft detector mechanism operative to indicate weft exhaustion during the first of a pair of successive beats of inaction for any shuttle in said same shuttle box, a multicolor magazine having three different kinds of weft, one for each weaving shuttle, controlled by the detector and effective during the second of the successive pair of beats of the depleted shuttle in said same shuttle box to replenish the latter, and selector mechanism for the reserve weft of the magazine movable to a changed position each time saidk same shuttle box becomes inactive, said selector mechanism capable of assuming three different positions during the rotation of the shuttles.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a pair of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof, means to shift each pair of boxes during a nonshifting period of the other pair of boxes, and the boxes operating with three weaving shuttles having distinctive weft which are active in rotation, each shuttle having a period of inaction of twoA successive beats of the loom in one of said boxes, a weft detector to indicate exhaustion'of weft in a shuttle during the first of a pair of successive beats of inaction of said shuttle in said one box,y

latter, a selector for the reserve weft of the magazine, and means to give said selector three di'fl ferent positions, one position for each movement of said one box to inactive position, said means maintaining the selector in a given position during operation of the detector and subsequent operation of the magazine independently of shifting of the boxes.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having two pairs of shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof operating with three weaving shuttles, means to shift the boxes to render the shuttles active in rotation and place each shuttle in action for but one pick at a time by the shuttle boxes and hold each shuttle inactive in one of the boxes for two successive beats of the loom, a weft detector to detect the condition of weft in an inactive shuttle in said one box during the iirst beat of the loom that the shuttle is inactive, multicolor weft replenishing mechanism having three kinds of reserve weft to replenish the weft in the depleted shuttle in said one box in the second beat of the loom during which the depleted shuttle is inactive, a selector having three positions, one for each of the three kinds of reserve weft in the replenishing mechanism, a cam operatively related to the selector to give the latter successive positions, one position for each movement of said one box to inactive position, and periodically acting means to move the cam through a complete cycle for each complete rotation of shuttles.

'.7. ln a loom having two shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof operating with three shuttles all having weft of different kinds, means to shift the shuttle boxes so that each shuttle is active for but one pick and inactive for two successive picks in the same shuttle box, weft detector mechanism to detect the weft in said same shuttle box during the rst of the two successive picks, a multicolor reserve weft magazine to supply three different kinds of weft, one kind for each shuttle, selector mechanism having three positions, means to give the selector mechanism a different setting for each movement of said same shuttle box to inactive position to select a reserve weft corresponding to the shuttle in the said same shuttle box, and transfer means to insert any selected reserve weft into said same shuttle box.

8. In a loom having two shifting shuttle boxes at each end thereof operating with three weaving shuttles each carrying distinctive weft, means to shift the shuttle boxes to cause the shuttles to follow each other in a sequence and lie active for but one pick at a time and inactive for two successive picks in the same shuttle box, weft detecting mechanism to coact with each shuttle in said same shuttle box during the rst pick of inaction, a multicolor magazine to supply three different types of reserve weft, one for each weaving shuttle, a selector mechanism for the magazine, means to give the selector mechanism three different settings, one for each of the weaving shuttles,

said last named means to change the setting of the selector mechanism for each movement of said same shuttle box to inactive position, and transfer means to insert any selected reserve weft into said same shuttle box during the second of said successive picks.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

